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Born in Austin, Texas, Forbes – originally hoping to become a ballet dancer – began receiving formal acting training at the Performing Arts High School in Houston. While on vacation in New York City at the age of 16, she found herself auditioning for a film; although it did not pan out, she nevertheless signed with the William Morris Agency and began her professional career in the Big Apple.

In 1987, at the age of 22, she landed the dual roles of Solita Carrera and Sonni Carrera Lewis on the daytime soap opera Guiding Light. She remained with the show for two years, receiving a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for her performance in 1990. She went on to make guest appearances on a few other TV shows (including Father Dowling Mysteries with Natalia Nogulich) before landing the role of Ensign Ro on Next Generation.

Rather than reprise the role of Ro for Deep Space Nine, Forbes decided to focus on a career in films. She received praise, as well as a Saturn Award nomination from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, for her performance as the victimized girlfriend of The X-Files star David Duchovny in the 1993 thriller Kalifornia. This was followed with the lead female role in the acclaimed 1994 black comedy Swimming with Sharks, as well as supporting roles in such films as The Road Killers (1994, co-starring Christopher McDonald), Just Looking (1995, working alongside Steven Weber), and John Carpenter's 1996 science fiction/action sequel Escape from L.A., the latter of which also featured fellow Trek alumni Shelly Desai and Leland Orser. She also starred with Charles Rocket and Vincent Schiavelli in a 1998 film called Dry Martini. She did continue making occasional appearances on television, however, with guest spots on Seinfeld (starring Jason Alexander) and The Outer Limits.

In 1996, she joined the cast of NBC's popular police drama Homicide: Life on the Street, playing chief medical examiner Julianna Cox. She remained with the show for two years, after which she was let go as part of a major cast overhaul (the series would be canceled after one more season). However, she would reprise the role in the 2000 TV special Homicide: The Movie (which also featured Ed Begley, Jr. and Reg E. Cathey). Also in 2000, Forbes became a regular on an ABC series called Wonderland, but this show was pulled from the air after only two episodes (six completed episodes never aired).

Forbes with Patrick Stewart filming the episode "Ensign Ro" in 1991.

Forbes was next seen in a recurring role on The District, a police drama whose regular cast includes Roger Aaron Brown. Forbes appeared in the first eight episodes of this series, airing throughout the fall of 2000, with her last episode also guest-starring original Trek series veteran Jeff Corey, whom she had previously worked with in a 1998 episode of Brimstone (along with Tim de Zarn, Lori Petty, and series regular John Glover). She was subsequently given roles in films such as 2001's Perfume (also featuring Paul Sorvino, Robert Joy, and Harris Yulin) and 2002's American Girl, as well as the 2001 British TV miniseries Messiah (for which she learned British Sign Language) and its sequels: Messiah 2: Vengeance is Mine in 2002 and Messiah III in 2003.

During the 2002-2003 TV season, Forbes played the recurring character of Lynne Kresge, the aide to the President of the United States, on the second season (2002-2003) of the critically-acclaimed FOX thriller 24. Actor Dennis Haysbert, who played President Palmer, reportedly was a big Star Trek fan and excited to work with her given her history with the show. Her tenure on this program saw her working alongside fellow Trek actors Timothy Carhart, Jude Ciccolella, Penny Johnson, and Harris Yulin. Like Ro Laren, the fate of Forbes' 24 character also remains a mystery.

She followed her role on 24 with a guest spot on J.J. Abrams' Alias, then went on to play Admiral Helena Cain in three episodes of Ronald D. Moore's re-imagining of the classic sci-fi series Battlestar Galactica, airing on the Sci-Fi Channel, as well as starring in the Battlestar Galactica TV movie Razor. In addition, she appeared in the critically acclaimed film Dandelion and lends her voice to the character of Dr. Judith Mossman in the Half-Life 2 video games. More recently, she had a recurring role as Agent Samantha Brinker on the FOX drama Prison Break, working alongside Wade Williams, Rob Knepper, and former Star Trek: Enterprise star John Billingsley. And in December 2006, she became one of the many Star Trek alumni to guest star on Boston Legal, an ABC series starring William Shatner and, at the time, Rene Auberjonois.

In 2008 and 2009, Forbes starred in the HBO drama series In Treatment, portraying the wife (and later ex-wife) of the central character, a psychotherapist played by Gabriel Byrne. She was also seen in the fourth season finale of Lost, the hit ABC drama co-created by J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof. She appeared in the second season of the HBO series True Blood as a Maenad named Maryann; John Billingsley also has a role on this series. In 2010 she received a Saturn Award nomination for "Best Guest Starring Role on Television" for her part in True Blood,[1] which she lost to fellow Trek actor Leonard Nimoy.[2]Raymond Cruz was also nominated in this category.[1]

In 2011 Forbes had a starring role as Mitch Larsen in the crime series The Killing along with Trek alumnus Billy Campbell. She also received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her work. She also voiced the character Circe in the video game DC Universe Online along with Wil Wheaton and Dwight Schultz and portrayed Billy Burke's screen wife Sylvia Howard in the comedy Highland Park (2011, with Bob Gunton and John Carroll Lynch).